Engine-governor.



No. 669,694. Patented Mar. I2, |901. G. HEPBUBN, J. TAYLOR D. H. EVANS.

ENGINE GOVERNOR. (Application filed Mar. 28, 1899,

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N0. 669,694. l Patented Mar. I2, I9OI. G. HEPBUHN, J. TAYLOR & D. H. EVANS. ENGINE GOVERNOR.

4 (Application led Max'. 28, 1899.1 (No Model.)

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No. 669,694. l Patented Mar. |2, *|9o|. 6. HEPBunKN, J. TAYLon 6 u. -H. EVANS.

ENGINE GDVEBNUR. v .Application med Mar. 2s, 1899 (No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

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GEORGE HEPBURN, JOHN TAYLOR, AND DAVID IIENRY EVANS, OF LIVER- POOL, ENGLAND.

ENGINE-GOVERNOR.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 669,694, dated March 12, 1901i.

Application filed March 2S, 1899. Serial No. 710,823. (No model.)

To all whom t may concern: nection with the reciprocated weight, of a re- Be it known Athat we, GEORGE HEPBURN, sistanee, such as a metal or air spring resist- JOHN TAYLOR, and DAVID I-IENRY EVANS, ance, which tends to preventtheweiglit from subjects of the Queen of England, and resicoming into operation, and so prevents the 5 dents of Liverpool, England, have invented steam-governor-valve-actuating devices from certain new and useful Improvements in Enbeing moved out of their normal or inactive gine-Governors, of which the following is a position, such resistance being capable of bespecication. ing varied in degree or intensity, and the This invention has reference to governors speed of the engine at which the governor 6o 1o for steam-engines for controlling the speed of would come into action may be varied at will same; but it has special reference to govand over a large range of variation,and, furernors for marine engines (or engines where ther, the spring-adjusting part of this resistthe conditions of work may be analogous) for ance device hasa mechanical gear on it, which the prevention of racing of such engines in is connected by a flexible shaft or Ieonnee- I5 heavy weather, owing to the lifting of the protions leading to a part or point which is conpellers more or less out of the water or variavenient, whereby while the engine is at full tion of depth of immersion thereof, and in speed the resistance may be varied and the case of breakdown, such as breaking of the speed at which the governor is set to come propeller shaft, crank` shaft, propeller, or into active operation can be changed at any 7o 2o otherwise. The species of marine governor moment. There is also employed in connecto which it belongs is that in which there is tion with this Weight asupplementary weight employed a weight or mass mounted upon or device so adapted as to come into action and moved up and down by a reciprocating only when a very abnormal speed of the enlever of the engine or an arm or lever Worked gine takes place, as in the breaking of the 25 by the engine and constructed and adapted vpropeller-shaft orcrank-shaft orthe propeller, to move the steam-governing-valve-actuating and which acts in connection with the main mechanism out of a normal position-wiz., a weight so as to hold and lock this weight in position of rest when the engine is moving at the position to which it has been moved at the normal rate of speed-to a position in the instant of coming into action on the rac- 8o 3o which it will actuate the steam supply or ing of the engine taking place.

controlling valve when the engine moves One form or construction of resistance for above the normal rate of speed. Generally eecting the purposes of this invention is the devices moved by this weight when the ,illustrated in the accompanying drawings, as governor acts consist of hinged pawls, which Well as the means of adjusting its variable 35 work in connection with and actuate a lever controlling action while the engine is in m0- connected with the throttle or other governtion. ing-valve on the steam-supply pipe of the en- In the drawings, Figure l is a front elevagine or other steam-pipe, as may be desired. tion showing the governor; and Fig. 2 is a The object of the present invention is side elevation, partly in section, while Figs. 9o `4e mainly to provide,in connection with this spe- 3 and 4 illustrate the means of adjusting the cies of governor, improvements by which a resistance while the engine is running. Fig. large range of different speeds of the engine 5 is an elevation showing one mode of appliat which it may be caused to come into play cation of the governor to a marine engine. or active operation is provided, and, further, The governor shown is in all the main 45 to enable the adjustment or setting of the 4points similar to the governor made by the governor to accomplish this object to be per- Aspinwalls Patent Governor. Companyformed with facility while the engines are that is to say, it comprises the main governor running-thatis,without having to slow down inertia-weight a, hinged and adapted to rock or stop the engines. upon a bearing-spindle b on the frame c of roo 5o According to this invention the object and the governor, an arm d extending out from eect is attained by the employment, in coneither side of the weight and having slotted ends, upper and lower actuating pawls or catches e, mounted on hinge-pins e and having studs c2 on either side fitting in the slots of the forked ends of d, a hooked arm f, projecting out from one end of ct, a locking and releasing pawl g, engaging Withf, and a releasing-lever h, connected with g. The arrangement of these parts and their actions are precisely similar to governors of this type as now commonly made and supplied, and

therefore, being well known and understood,

their functions and action need no description.

With regard now to the resistance device, that shown comprises a hollow tubular case c', having trunnions t mounted and adapted to rock axially in bearingsj on the frame-plate c, and this case supports a spindle lo, part of which works within the case, while the lower end projects through the'bottom of the case and rests in a socket hole or recess Z in the upper side of the weight a. The spindle lo has a collar k within the case i, and a spring Z is fitted over the spindle and rests at its lower end on this collar and at its upper end bears against the' screw-adjusting plug m, which screws into the mouth of the case t', its

lower end pressing on the upper end of the spring Z'. This plug fm is bored out centrally, and the end of the spindle 7c enters this bore, so that the plug can be moved down over 7c and serves at the same time as a support for the upper end of the spindle. A lock nut or ring n fits over the screw-plug???l and when screwed up holds the plug in position after the plug has been set.

It will be seen that. in action the amount of resistance which will be offered to lthe weight a in its upward movement will depend upon the degree of compression under which the spring Z will be placed, and this degree is regulated and varied by the pressure exerted by the plug m on it-that is, accordingly as this plug m is screwed or turned farther into and out of the case and Ycom presses the spring Z more or less so will the resistance against the movement of the weight a be larger or smaller-and this spring resistance aords a large range of speeds of engine at which the governor may be adapted to come into 'active play. The greater the resistance of course the higher the speed of the engine will be at which the action of the governor takes place, and vice versa. In a resistance of this kind it will be plain that in lieu of a metallic spring a rubber vessel containing air at a suitable pressure may be employed within the case and adapted to act upon a spindle projecting through the lower end of the case, as the lower end of k, in which case, of course, by pressing upon the air more or less by screwing the plugm in or out the resistance will be varied.

The smaller weight referred to for holding up the weight a in the case of a very rapid increase of speed of the engine, due to a breakdown taking place, for keeping the steam shut 0E when it has been so cut oif by the weight a is designated u. It is disposed at the tail end of the weight a and hinged at u in the bearings o. The normal position of this weight is that shown in the drawings, and it is held inA this position-that is, prevented from falling lowerby a projection u2, which comes against a stationary pin a3, projecting from one of the bearing-brackets o. When a very great increase of speed takes place from causes such as referred to, not only will the weight ot move about its hinge b at the upper end of the first stroke of the lever on which the governor is carried, but this weight u will also move up, owing to its inertia of momentum, and will stand vertically over its axle-pin 'Lt' and directly under the lower side of the weight a. Thus the weight a cannot fall down when the end of the downstroke of the governor-lever is reached or at any time,

4 and hence the governor valve-lever connected with the governor remains in the position it will have been movedy to `by the governor and the steam will be kept oif and the engine brought to a standstill. To insure of this action of holding up the weight a, it is preferably provided with the recess at a2, corresponding with the form of the head of the weight u, by which aiirm engagementof these two weights under the circumstances named takes place.

Reference is now made to Figs. 3 and 4, which illustrate the means of adjusting the plug m and varying the resistance while the engine is in full movement. In this case at the head of the plug m there is a worm-wheel o and engaging with it a worm p, connected by a flexible or suitable jointed shaft q, of any known kind, to a point which is convenient for manipulatingor Working the mechanism.. At this point the outer end of the exible shaft is supported, preferably, by a fixed bearing and has upon it an actuating wheel or hand-le s and also a screwed locking-stud zi, screwed into r and adapted to jam the spindle of lthe shaft q when the governor has been set. The worm p is fitted and carried in a suitable bracket p', supported loosely on the plug m, this bracket and the worm p being prevented from turning by the legs p2, which `pass down through openings in the lugs 2 on the case t'.

Referring to Fig. 5, w designates the governor, bolted to the air-pipe lever 0o and connecting levers y, y', y2, and g3 to the main stop-valve 2.

What is claimed in respect of the hereindescribed-invention ist l. In a steam or other fluid pressure engine governor having an inertia weight or mass ct, mounted by a loose joint to a reciprocating part of or connected with the engine,a variable spring resistance connected with and adapted to operate against the direction of moyement of said weight when it moves due to an excess of l speed of the engine, whereby a large range of speeds ,of said engine at which the IOO IIO

'said Weight or mass a is adapted to come intol active operation, is aorded, a connecting device connected with and moved by said mass When operated, a stationary part, as a lever, or arm, adapted to be engaged with and 0p- -erated by said engaging device, and a motorluid-governing valve connected and operated by said stationary part, substantially as described.

2. In a steam-engine governor having a Weight or mass a operated up and down by the engine, the spring resistance comprising a case i, a spring within the said case, screwplug m adapted to act on the back end of the spring, and a spindle la acting upon the npper side of the reciprocating Weight or mass d, as herein set forth.

3. The improvement connected with engine 

